UChicago/Hyde Park = Dangerous?

uchicagoalum
Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:48:30 +0000

I think it is a bit early to assess safety in the vicinity of the new dorm. Effectively, it is located behind three schools on 60th street – the Law School, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the School of Social Service Administration – and in front of the final block of dilapidated PhD student apartments on 61st. At present, this area seems safe during the day, but marginally unsafe at night. This is because immediately beyond this zone, things get very dicey. By way of personal example, I lived on South Ellis between 61st and 62nd for a quarter, and got loose bricks thrown at me in broad daylight by some high schoolers (apparently as part of their gang initiation). There were also a lot of plain view drug buys that went down immediately in front of my apartment, yet all routine, and never violent.

However, I would wager with the number of students the university will have there between UG’s residing and professional school students attending class, very little crime will be tolerated (especially in light of the relocation of the police station). There seems to be a strong push to make this area an integral part of the university campus, as opposed to just some buildings on the far periphery of the main quads. Ultimately, gentrifying this space is imperative if the school ever wants to have a cohesive campus, rather than UG dorms flung arbitrarily around Hyde Park. There is also the added value that more people will traffic the midway en route to the main campus, cleaning it up a touch as well.

In summary, do not let crime concerns keep you from the U of C, or for that matter, any other elite college (Penn, Yale, Columbia, etc.) Just keep your eyes open, and use common sense. And for the record, I would choose a mixed upper classmen / lower classmen dorm over Max-Pavelsky any day. It will help you acculturate to the school far quicker.